Guests listen as Andy Ricker describes what a winged bean is: a long bean, not unlike asparagus in its crunchy snap, and often used in salads with ingredients like fish sauce, lime, palm sugar, coconut, and peanuts.

“This is like the UN of cooks, and we all speak the same language!” said chef
John Besh as he prepared to plate chef
Naomi Pomeroy’s course, a velvety chanterelle velouté. “We went to China with
Danny Bowien, Thailand with
Andy Ricker, and now we’re heading into the American Northwest.” It’s true–the second of Bon Appetit’sDo Your Part Dinners ping-ponged guests around the world in a six-course meal, each plate conceived by a different great in the industry, and executed thanks to communal effort. The chefs’ cooperation mirrored the goal of the dinners themselves: to come together and raise money for victims of Hurricane Sandy, with all proceeds going to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York (for Hurricane Relief).

The night began in Spain. As about 50 guests strode into the front room of City Grit, a cozy space that functions during the day as an antique and curio shop, they were greeted with a glass of Cava and a plump leg of Serrano ham being expertly carved by Bon Appetit’s test kitchen director,
Mary-Frances Heck. The crowd buzzed about the dishes they were about to try from chefs Bowien (MIssion Chinese), Ricker (Pok Pok), Pomeroy (Beast), Besh (August),
Dan Kluger (ABC Kitchen), and City Grit owner
Sarah Simmons, who were all cooking one meal together.

“I’m familiar with the chefs and the places they come from. Mission Chinese and ABC Kitchen are both on my list, so it’s like I’m eating at both,” said
Xijia Chen, who had heard about the dinner from a colleague. Thus was the allure of the night–and the excitement and energy mounted while guests waited to be seated.

Down in the kitchen,
LCD Soundsystem pumped from the speakers as the chefs plated Bowien’s course, the first of the night–smooth, chilly lobes of scallop with fried sweetbreads, buttery sea urchin, and trout roe, all laced with Bowien’s signature fiery spice. The Foodist,
Andrew Knowlton, supplied the tunes and the bourbon that fueled the kitchen while everyone worked together like old colleagues.

As the courses came up, the dining room filled with wildly different aromas: the pungent scent of fish sauce and coconut from Ricker’s winged-bean salad with prawns and ground pork; the heady smell of Besh’s duckling ragout crowned with crackly duck skin and chestnuts; the presence of Dan Kluger’s slow-roasted suckling pig, pressed into a perfect rectangle. Guests seemed floored not only by the food but the experience of sampling six dishes from six of the best restaurants in America.

“This is an amazing experience,” said
Charlie Dougiello, a partner at the Door, a firm that represents restaurants around the country. It was his partner Kim’s 33rd birthday. “We had reservations at Eleven Madison Park, but we canceled to come to this dinner. It’s a great gift to give somebody–you’re donating money to a great cause, and you get to see this rare array of great well-known chefs and taste their food.” Kim beamed, then added, “I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my birthday.”Check out the slideshow above to relive the epic dinner, and make sure to check out the first dinner, too.